I guess I could say that it started in front of the fireplace. No, not what it sounds like. My parents had this brick fireplace (still do) that has a ledge on it. Perfect for a young child's rock star dreams. So, naturally, I grabbed the fireplace broom (covered in soot) and my sister, Liz, would handle the microphone duties, also known as the poker. The first record that I can really remember having a true effect on me was Heart's Little Queen (1977). I stared at that cover for hours. I wanted to BE Nancy Wilson. Barracuda was the first track. We played it a hundred times. Since my childhood, I have played that track THOUSANDS more.
I lived my youth in the 70s, but I feel like I experienced a lot of my love for music in the 80s. I remember being maybe 11 or 12 and looking at a photo of Prince in my bedroom and sort of putting it in between the pages of another book, like it was some sort of porn pic. But wasn't it? In a way? He was our gateway drug. He was the guy who sang about Nikki (who masturbated with magazines) and talked about Little Red Corvettes... but really wasn't talking about Corvettes.
And the first "real" show I saw in Chicago... when Michael Hutchence walked out on that stage in 1987 singing about things that 15 year-old girls wear short skirts for. I felt like someone had literally come up and punched me in the gut. I lost my voice for two days, I think. My mom can still tell this story about how I came home from INXS and was never the same again. I WAS HOOKED.
A lot of you know that I have also had a (painful) lifetime love affair with Simon LeBon and the boys of Duran Duran. When their last album came out, I got up an hour early to download it from iTunes. I wouldn't get up an hour early if the f*ck*ng house was on fire.
Depeche Mode. I still remember the song playing (Agent Orange) and the way the inside of the car smelled when kissing the first boy I was in love with.
Ministry. I remember talking my lovely friend Amaranta (exchange student) into going to "a show" with me. She didn't know Ministry, I'm fairly certain, so she just thought "oh, fun." We went to one of the loudest, most piercing, awesome, jaw breaking shows I've ever attended. I went to this show when I was seventeen and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I am 39 now.
Sean Lennon. Leslie and I saw the son of John Lennon. At Park West in Chicago in the winter of 2006. I feel super lucky to have seen him perform live. I love him and think that he is a true artist like his father. I am fairly certain that I will probably never see him again and am glad that she and I drove up 4 hours on a Tuesday night.
She Wants Revenge. Hands down, they are a band that makes my old ass feel like a teenager again. I feel like when I listen to them, I am reminded of a time when things were just uncomplicated and more fun. Period.
Arcade Fire. They make me wish that I was a songwriter. I love the music, the melodies, everything. It makes me jealous. It's like when I read my sister's writing and I just want to scream with jealousy and curse aloud in front of small children. That's what I feel like when I listen to Arcade Fire. Fuck them. Because they do it better than EVERYBODY ELSE.
Radiohead. Okay, maybe not EVERYBODY.
Interpol. Ever since I saw them last week, I just can't shake them. I've been listening nonstop. Man, they are killing me. Talk about songwriting. And polished like crazy. Have you ever listened to "The Lighthouse" (Our Love to Admire)? Yeah, neither has anyone else. If you can make it through, try it again. Seriously, you are in for a treat. They could NEVER play that song live because, let's face it, people would just start throwing shit. But if you listen to the whole thing, listen to it again. In the car... LOUD. Trust me.
Lollapalooza. Okay, it's in it's 20th year. Rob and I are packing our bags again and taking our old asses to the hipster fest of the season. But, honestly, I love it. I thrive on it. I get hot and tired and all of the things that those festivals do to people over 25. But every time I am with my friends and we look over at each other... and we are all smiling... and thinking the same thing (are you serious? Is this real? This is the most awesome thing in the whole world right here.), it makes all of the other menial sh*t just seem ridiculous. Oh, your feet hurt? Suck it up. You are a hundred feet away from Big Audio Dynamite! And this may not mean much to the crowd under 30, but for those OVER 30, Mick Jones is in Big Audio Dynamite... and for those who might not recognize the name Mick Jones, he was in a little band called the Clash. And I, my friends, have never seen The Clash... so this is the closest I'm ever gonna get.
XOXO. -N.
